Trip reports

Brean Down

Wednesday, 14 October 2009

25 members including visitors from Lincolnshire and Sherborne met on a fantastic sunny, calm autumn morning. The previous day several ring ouzels, a firecrest and a Dartford warbler had all been reported. I considered the weather too good for them to have stayed but Jean asked for a second opinion and was told that rare birds were seen (sometimes) in nice weather. There were a few stonechats round the cove but otherwise all seemed quiet. We reached the top and looked over low tide at the Axe estuary. Here a birder reported a single ring ouzel near the farm and the party divided into three - rarity seekers, leggers (keen to move on) and the main group.
A few swallows were heading east along with meadow pipits and a couple of skylarks. Most people saw one or two peregrines and several ravens. Rosina's party logged a few fly-by redwings and a flock of siskins. But the Down was quiet, just a few rock pipits with meadow pipits at the fort.
The return yielded willow warbler and chiffchaff and 360 plus shelducks on the Axe. We were able to watch a heron swallow (eventually) a large fish. Curlew, redshank and teal were also seen.
By now it was lunchtime but Rosina headed a small dedicated group on a (regrettably fruitless) ring ouzel search. The rest of us disappeared or consumed our sandwiches on the sea wall in summer-like sun, only pausing to watch three little egrets fly in and squabble over feeding areas.
However, Tony Gristock had brought welcome news of a flock (!) of bearded tits being seen at Berrow. Several of us headed to the boardwalk there and were eventually rewarded by the pinging calls, a brief fly past, then a superb male on top of a reed posing very close to us. Rosina (delayed by ring ouzel foray) missed this and when she arrived all went quiet. Such is birdwatching.
As for the best type of weather for seeing migrants - let's just say that I felt vindicated. Trevor Riddle